"Ah…"
At the bottom of a cliff, where only a knowledgeable herbalist might venture, a black handbag lay as if it were lost.
'She really hid the money as if it was lost!'
Vice President Seo Hye-joo, who was afraid of retaliation, meticulously planned every detail and cut off any possible connection.
As long as I don't blab, nobody will ever find the link between us.
This arrangement relieved some of the pressure on me, knowing that failure was not an option.
Even if this was a dream.
Anyway…
"What do I do now?"
It was great to have safely retrieved the handbag, but I couldn't muster the courage to go back the way I came.
Did this plan not consider the person who would be searching for the treasure?
For Vice President Seo Hye-joo, it was easy to just throw the bag full of cash down to the bottom of the cliff. However, for me, who had to find it and climb back up or navigate the mountain, the situation was quite bleak.
The silver lining was…
The stamina I had built up as a swimmer came in handy.
"…Huh?"
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation from behind and glanced back—
'Insane!'
I ran without hesitation.
Direction? Path?
None of that mattered right now. As long as I wasn't standing still.
Why?
Screech-!
Because I saw a bizarre, bipedal creature that I could swear I had never seen before in my life!
"What the heck is that?!"
The creature had two pairs of arms and one pair of legs without hands or feet, all resembling blades. Its torso looked like that of a person who had been starving for a long time, with skin tightly clinging to the ribs and spine.
And its head…
"……"
A woman with an exotic beauty and reddish-brown hair reminiscent of oxidized iron.
Her slightly open lips didn't utter a word, as if she were a person who had lost her mind—
Screeeech-!
"Ugh~!"
The monster continued to scratch its arms (blades) and legs (blades) together, as if playing a violin.
Screeeeech-!
"I'm going crazy!"
As a precaution, I had only been on guard against the Magical Boy Choi Kang-min, never expecting such a catastrophe.
Swish-
The monster approached me at an incredibly fast speed, cutting through the bushes with its sharp limbs.
Its movements were like those of a skater!
'Is that even possible?!'
It would have made sense on a slippery ice rink, but this was a dirt floor littered with obstacles like gravel and branches.
It didn't make physical sense.
Either way,
Swish-
The creepy sound of the monster cutting through the grass was getting closer.
'I'll die at this rate…!'
Complaints about the monster that appeared in Choi Kang-min's dream could wait! I forcibly calmed myself down to avoid being slashed by the monster.
The monster quickly sprinted, with only the tips of its blade-like feet barely touching the ground.
But as a result—
"Uh!"
I kicked off a rock in front of me and changed direction vertically.
On the other hand,
Screeeeech-?
Crash!
The monster couldn't change direction and collided head-on with the rock.
'Just as I expected!'
The peculiar movement of sliding on the ground like a skater was fast, but the creature running with almost no friction was vulnerable to inertia.
"Whew!"
I managed to catch my breath thanks to widening the gap that had narrowed while mindlessly running away.
I also had time to look back.
'I wish it would give up now… Was I asking for too much?'
Scrape-
Rumble…
The monster continued to chase me, venting its anger by smashing the rock it had collided with.
Screech!
"Damn it!"
Scrape-
Since it simply sliced through small obstacles, the monster's speed couldn't be reduced.
In other words, if I couldn't keep finding large rocks, I would eventually be caught.
I needed another way.
'But how?'
Fighting the monster that could slice through rocks like tofu would be suicidal.
Moreover, I was unarmed.
"Ugh!"
My body was covered in scratches.
My skin was full of welts from being scraped by grass and branches, and my stamina was rapidly depleting.
On the other hand,
Screeeech!
The monster showed no signs of exhaustion.
"Just a little more…!"
This was a small mountain in the middle of the city. As long as I didn't run around in circles, I should quickly reach a safety zone where people were.
The monster wouldn't pursue me any further once I reached that vicinity.
Why was I so sure?
If it were a monster that couldn't distinguish its territory, it would have been discovered and exterminated long ago.
...At least that's what I naively thought.
"Huh? Ahh!"
"It's a monster…!"
"Save me~!"
"Goodness!"
As soon as the hikers waiting for their friends or family at the entrance of the mountain saw the monster chasing me, they panicked and ran in all directions.
And then, I made a choice that was completely opposite to what I had done so far.
"Monster! Over here…!"
Screech?
"Come on! I'm your prey!"
I stopped running and provoked it. Even if this decision led me to die sooner.
It's just a dream, right?
Such a naïve thought also played a significant role.
"……"
"Eek?!"
The monster lowered its raised arm, which it had lifted to cut the fallen hiker, and turned its body.
Directly at me.
And there were no obstacles between us.
Slither-
The monster charged at me in a straight line, making a different sound from when it slid across the grass and dirt.
'...I'm going to die.'
I had boasted boldly, but I didn't have a secret plan to defeat the monster.
I just didn't want anyone to get hurt or die because of me.
Even if that person was a figment of my imagination (a dream).
Screech!
"Run away quickly!"
I shouted to the fallen hiker and turned to run again. Even if I would be caught and killed by the monster soon, I wanted to buy as much time as possible.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out at that moment.
Screech-?!
The monster lost its balance and rolled to the side.
Who on earth had fired the gun?
The answer was in the sky.
Thump, thump, thump, thump-
A helicopter carrying a sniper slowly lowered its altitude.
And then, a voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Dear citizens! Don't worry about the monster! The Earth Defense Force is here!"
Screech, screech…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The monster was exterminated as it helplessly slashed at the soldiers attacking from the sky.
* *
"Thank you! I'm alive because of you!"
"No problem. It's the Earth Defense Force's duty."
"Still, thank you."
"Show me where you're hurt."
"I'm fine."
"If you walk around like that, you'll scare other citizens."
"…Then please help me."
The Earth Defense Force.
If the Magical Boy with immeasurable power deals with major incidents, the Earth Defense Force handles minor issues.
Shall we call them supporting actors who confront the minions of evil?
Although they are composed only of the best members verified through P's aptitude test, they are treated like errand runners because the beings threatening humanity are so absurdly powerful…
That was the grumbling I heard while traveling on their helicopter to the rooftop of Elmorangs Hospital.
"It's been a while."
"Ha, ha, ha... That's right."
I met the doctor again, who had introduced himself as a genetic engineer before.
I wanted to go to a hospital near the scene due to severe anemia and fatigue, but this was the only place that would accept me without a resident registration card.
"You were unlucky to encounter a Blade Demon..."
"So, you call it a Blade Demon."
Blade Demon.
It was an intuitive name that everyone could relate to.
Also, it was a 'fictional monster' that could only exist in dreams.
However,
'It's too detailed to be considered a world created based on Choi Kang-min's imagination...'
Now was not the time to leisurely explore the occult.
Magical boy Choi Kang-min.
Bringing this person from a dream to reality was already overwhelming. Still, I made a mental note of the precautions.
"The Blade Demon is a new type of monster that has recently appeared."
"Recently..."
"The cause is unknown, but Blade Demons have a strong hostility towards living humans. It's as if... they're jealous spirits envious of the living."
"I see."
"I've only heard this from others, but Blade Demons ambush people who are alone. So, never stray from the path when you go hiking."
"I understand."
It wasn't my choice to stray. It was Vice President Seo Hye-joo's fault for hiding the money there!
I wanted to go to her office and give her a piece of my mind, but I couldn't risk putting her in danger again.
"Kang Moon-soo."
"Yes."
"It would be better to have a thorough examination while you're being treated—"
"No! Absolutely not!"
I flatly rejected the doctor's suggestion and fled Elmorangs Hospital as if I were running away.
'Now, then...'
I didn't let go of the handbag with the money even when my life was in danger from the monster.
Did I only save the money?
No.
"I hope the USB data was safely copied as well..."
I actively utilized the fact that when moving from reality to a dream, the belongings, including the clothes you're wearing, are reflected.
One of them was a letter sent by Seo Hye-joo to her future self.
What I prepared was not a paper letter but a video.
First of all,
"I need to hide."
Meeting Choi Kang-min, who kills people at the speed of light, in person would be nothing short of suicidal.
Let the life-threatening hide-and-seek begin.
* * *
Choi Kang-min, feeling uneasy and disgusted due to his recent physical issues, was venting his frustration by teasing a female employee he had hired based on her appearance alone.
"Chairman! I'm sorry! It hurts so much that I can't...!"
"Who told you to speak?"
"……"
Unlike his wife, who couldn't handle his stamina as she aged, employees could be replaced like batteries, which he enjoyed.
Finally, his mood was...
Bang!
"Chairman! We have a big problem!"
The secretary burst into the office as the door was violently opened.
"Eek!"
The startled female employee hid under the desk, covering her upper body with her arms.
"...I said no one should come in."
"I'm sorry! But it's an urgent and important matter that you need to know...!"
"...Get out."
The female employee, with her makeup ruined by tears, quietly left the office as she closed the door.
Chairman and secretary.
Only the two men, close enough to share secrets, remained.
"What's the big deal?"
"Yes."
"Is there a bigger deal than the garbage public opinion saying that the damage has increased because I came late?"
"It's not the time to worry about the reputation of the Magical Boy!"
"...What do you mean?"
"The breaking news appeared on the television news without any notice!"
While the Magical Boy, as an apostle of justice, couldn't complain, businessman and politician 'President Choi Kang-min' was different.
He had dealt with those who criticized him without regard for the means and methods.
But on public television?
As long as they don't want their company to go bankrupt, they wouldn't do anything to displease them.
"Where?"
"You can consider it as most of them."
"……"
It was too bold.
It meant they had a solid weakness that he couldn't respond to legally or retaliate against.
In other words, the situation was serious.
"...Turn it on right now."
"Yes!"
(Kang-min, when will you run away from the fact that you encouraged your friends to bully your brother, Kang-hoon?)
"Ugh?!"
As soon as the television was turned on, Choi Kang-min was shivering, taking a gasp of air at the sight of his father's face.
"What... what is this?!"
(If anything happens to my safety, I will leave all my property to my second son, Choi Kang-hoon. I hope this video reaches a righteous person.)
"This is a recording of the former chairman who passed away 20 years ago. It was circulating on the internet-"
"This is a scam! It must be a manipulation made with computer graphics...!"
Choi Kang-min, reminded of the nightmare from 20 years ago, shouted furiously.
Who would do such a thing?
'Kang Moon-soo!'
The face of the man who had been on his mind naturally came to him.
"Ah…"
At the bottom of a cliff, where only a knowledgeable herbalist might venture, a black handbag lay as if it were lost.
'She really hid the money as if it was lost!'
Vice President Seo Hye-joo, who was afraid of retaliation, meticulously planned every detail and cut off any possible connection.
As long as I don't blab, nobody will ever find the link between us.
This arrangement relieved some of the pressure on me, knowing that failure was not an option.
Even if this was a dream.
Anyway…
"What do I do now?"
It was great to have safely retrieved the handbag, but I couldn't muster the courage to go back the way I came.
Did this plan not consider the person who would be searching for the treasure?
For Vice President Seo Hye-joo, it was easy to just throw the bag full of cash down to the bottom of the cliff. However, for me, who had to find it and climb back up or navigate the mountain, the situation was quite bleak.
The silver lining was…
The stamina I had built up as a swimmer came in handy.
"…Huh?"
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation from behind and glanced back—
'Insane!'
I ran without hesitation.
Direction? Path?
None of that mattered right now. As long as I wasn't standing still.
Why?
Screech-!
Because I saw a bizarre, bipedal creature that I could swear I had never seen before in my life!
"What the heck is that?!"
The creature had two pairs of arms and one pair of legs without hands or feet, all resembling blades. Its torso looked like that of a person who had been starving for a long time, with skin tightly clinging to the ribs and spine.
And its head…
"……"
A woman with an exotic beauty and reddish-brown hair reminiscent of oxidized iron.
Her slightly open lips didn't utter a word, as if she were a person who had lost her mind—
Screeeech-!
"Ugh~!"
The monster continued to scratch its arms (blades) and legs (blades) together, as if playing a violin.
Screeeeech-!
"I'm going crazy!"
As a precaution, I had only been on guard against the Magical Boy Choi Kang-min, never expecting such a catastrophe.
Swish-
The monster approached me at an incredibly fast speed, cutting through the bushes with its sharp limbs.
Its movements were like those of a skater!
'Is that even possible?!'
It would have made sense on a slippery ice rink, but this was a dirt floor littered with obstacles like gravel and branches.
It didn't make physical sense.
Either way,
Swish-
The creepy sound of the monster cutting through the grass was getting closer.
'I'll die at this rate…!'
Complaints about the monster that appeared in Choi Kang-min's dream could wait! I forcibly calmed myself down to avoid being slashed by the monster.
The monster quickly sprinted, with only the tips of its blade-like feet barely touching the ground.
But as a result—
"Uh!"
I kicked off a rock in front of me and changed direction vertically.
On the other hand,
Screeeeech-?
Crash!
The monster couldn't change direction and collided head-on with the rock.
'Just as I expected!'
The peculiar movement of sliding on the ground like a skater was fast, but the creature running with almost no friction was vulnerable to inertia.
"Whew!"
I managed to catch my breath thanks to widening the gap that had narrowed while mindlessly running away.
I also had time to look back.
'I wish it would give up now… Was I asking for too much?'
Scrape-
Rumble…
The monster continued to chase me, venting its anger by smashing the rock it had collided with.
Screech!
"Damn it!"
Scrape-
Since it simply sliced through small obstacles, the monster's speed couldn't be reduced.
In other words, if I couldn't keep finding large rocks, I would eventually be caught.
I needed another way.
'But how?'
Fighting the monster that could slice through rocks like tofu would be suicidal.
Moreover, I was unarmed.
"Ugh!"
My body was covered in scratches.
My skin was full of welts from being scraped by grass and branches, and my stamina was rapidly depleting.
On the other hand,
Screeeech!
The monster showed no signs of exhaustion.
"Just a little more…!"
This was a small mountain in the middle of the city. As long as I didn't run around in circles, I should quickly reach a safety zone where people were.
The monster wouldn't pursue me any further once I reached that vicinity.
Why was I so sure?
If it were a monster that couldn't distinguish its territory, it would have been discovered and exterminated long ago.
...At least that's what I naively thought.
"Huh? Ahh!"
"It's a monster…!"
"Save me~!"
"Goodness!"
As soon as the hikers waiting for their friends or family at the entrance of the mountain saw the monster chasing me, they panicked and ran in all directions.
And then, I made a choice that was completely opposite to what I had done so far.
"Monster! Over here…!"
Screech?
"Come on! I'm your prey!"
I stopped running and provoked it. Even if this decision led me to die sooner.
It's just a dream, right?
Such a naïve thought also played a significant role.
"……"
"Eek?!"
The monster lowered its raised arm, which it had lifted to cut the fallen hiker, and turned its body.
Directly at me.
And there were no obstacles between us.
Slither-
The monster charged at me in a straight line, making a different sound from when it slid across the grass and dirt.
'...I'm going to die.'
I had boasted boldly, but I didn't have a secret plan to defeat the monster.
I just didn't want anyone to get hurt or die because of me.
Even if that person was a figment of my imagination (a dream).
Screech!
"Run away quickly!"
I shouted to the fallen hiker and turned to run again. Even if I would be caught and killed by the monster soon, I wanted to buy as much time as possible.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out at that moment.
Screech-?!
The monster lost its balance and rolled to the side.
Who on earth had fired the gun?
The answer was in the sky.
Thump, thump, thump, thump-
A helicopter carrying a sniper slowly lowered its altitude.
And then, a voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Dear citizens! Don't worry about the monster! The Earth Defense Force is here!"
Screech, screech…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The monster was exterminated as it helplessly slashed at the soldiers attacking from the sky.
* *
"Thank you! I'm alive because of you!"
"No problem. It's the Earth Defense Force's duty."
"Still, thank you."
"Show me where you're hurt."
"I'm fine."
"If you walk around like that, you'll scare other citizens."
"…Then please help me."
The Earth Defense Force.
If the Magical Boy with immeasurable power deals with major incidents, the Earth Defense Force handles minor issues.
Shall we call them supporting actors who confront the minions of evil?
Although they are composed only of the best members verified through P's aptitude test, they are treated like errand runners because the beings threatening humanity are so absurdly powerful…
That was the grumbling I heard while traveling on their helicopter to the rooftop of Elmorangs Hospital.
"It's been a while."
"Ha, ha, ha... That's right."
I met the doctor again, who had introduced himself as a genetic engineer before.
I wanted to go to a hospital near the scene due to severe anemia and fatigue, but this was the only place that would accept me without a resident registration card.
"You were unlucky to encounter a Blade Demon..."
"So, you call it a Blade Demon."
Blade Demon.
It was an intuitive name that everyone could relate to.
Also, it was a 'fictional monster' that could only exist in dreams.
However,
'It's too detailed to be considered a world created based on Choi Kang-min's imagination...'
Now was not the time to leisurely explore the occult.
Magical boy Choi Kang-min.
Bringing this person from a dream to reality was already overwhelming. Still, I made a mental note of the precautions.
"The Blade Demon is a new type of monster that has recently appeared."
"Recently..."
"The cause is unknown, but Blade Demons have a strong hostility towards living humans. It's as if... they're jealous spirits envious of the living."
"I see."
"I've only heard this from others, but Blade Demons ambush people who are alone. So, never stray from the path when you go hiking."
"I understand."
It wasn't my choice to stray. It was Vice President Seo Hye-joo's fault for hiding the money there!
I wanted to go to her office and give her a piece of my mind, but I couldn't risk putting her in danger again.
"Kang Moon-soo."
"Yes."
"It would be better to have a thorough examination while you're being treated—"
"No! Absolutely not!"
I flatly rejected the doctor's suggestion and fled Elmorangs Hospital as if I were running away.
'Now, then...'
I didn't let go of the handbag with the money even when my life was in danger from the monster.
Did I only save the money?
No.
"I hope the USB data was safely copied as well..."
I actively utilized the fact that when moving from reality to a dream, the belongings, including the clothes you're wearing, are reflected.
One of them was a letter sent by Seo Hye-joo to her future self.
What I prepared was not a paper letter but a video.
First of all,
"I need to hide."
Meeting Choi Kang-min, who kills people at the speed of light, in person would be nothing short of suicidal.
Let the life-threatening hide-and-seek begin.
* * *
Choi Kang-min, feeling uneasy and disgusted due to his recent physical issues, was venting his frustration by teasing a female employee he had hired based on her appearance alone.
"Chairman! I'm sorry! It hurts so much that I can't...!"
"Who told you to speak?"
"……"
Unlike his wife, who couldn't handle his stamina as she aged, employees could be replaced like batteries, which he enjoyed.
Finally, his mood was...
Bang!
"Chairman! We have a big problem!"
The secretary burst into the office as the door was violently opened.
"Eek!"
The startled female employee hid under the desk, covering her upper body with her arms.
"...I said no one should come in."
"I'm sorry! But it's an urgent and important matter that you need to know...!"
"...Get out."
The female employee, with her makeup ruined by tears, quietly left the office as she closed the door.
Chairman and secretary.
Only the two men, close enough to share secrets, remained.
"What's the big deal?"
"Yes."
"Is there a bigger deal than the garbage public opinion saying that the damage has increased because I came late?"
"It's not the time to worry about the reputation of the Magical Boy!"
"...What do you mean?"
"The breaking news appeared on the television news without any notice!"
While the Magical Boy, as an apostle of justice, couldn't complain, businessman and politician 'President Choi Kang-min' was different.
He had dealt with those who criticized him without regard for the means and methods.
But on public television?
As long as they don't want their company to go bankrupt, they wouldn't do anything to displease them.
"Where?"
"You can consider it as most of them."
"……"
It was too bold.
It meant they had a solid weakness that he couldn't respond to legally or retaliate against.
In other words, the situation was serious.
"...Turn it on right now."
"Yes!"
(Kang-min, when will you run away from the fact that you encouraged your friends to bully your brother, Kang-hoon?)
"Ugh?!"
As soon as the television was turned on, Choi Kang-min was shivering, taking a gasp of air at the sight of his father's face.
"What... what is this?!"
(If anything happens to my safety, I will leave all my property to my second son, Choi Kang-hoon. I hope this video reaches a righteous person.)
"This is a recording of the former chairman who passed away 20 years ago. It was circulating on the internet-"
"This is a scam! It must be a manipulation made with computer graphics...!"
Choi Kang-min, reminded of the nightmare from 20 years ago, shouted furiously.
Who would do such a thing?
'Kang Moon-soo!'
The face of the man who had been on his mind naturally came to him.
